No One Is "Indispensable"
I recently talked with
someone who has a supervisor whom he considers “indispensable”.
To quote Elbert Hubbard, “The graveyards are full of people
the world could not do without.” This is
a salutary reminder that no matter how “indispensable” you may be, everyone
dies and the world has to dispense with their services (however reluctantly).
Following that macabre observation, as our conversation
developed, it turned out that my conversation partner had hired a perfectionist. This hire was very good at his work and
things always ran smoothly when he was around.
No worries, then, you may say.
Incorrect.
Because of his perfectionism, this supervisor fell into the
classic trap of being unable to delegate, because (in his opinion) nobody could
do the work as well as he could. As a
result, when volumes increased, he had no one with whom he could share the
load. This resulted in:
- Increased stress for the supervisor;
- Petulant behaviour towards colleagues and therefore…
- Increased stress for them (he was “senior” to many of them);
- Morale issues;
- Staff resignations;
- People management issues;
- The impression (for the supervisor involved) that he was indispensable and could get away
with unprofessional behaviour;
- Unfair comparisons/assumptions on the part of staff
concerned.
My conversation partner was in a dilemma: he could see the
situation, but felt his hands were tied.
What could he have done? He was scared of upsetting his supervisor and
losing him.
To start with, he could remember Hubbard above. When I talk with clients about staffing
issues, one point I make is that the proverbial bolt of lightning could strike
any of their staff - no matter how “indispensable” they are. Accept it, have a plan.
Next, always have
a backup. The US Navy SEALs say, “One is
none, two is one - always have a backup (whether it’s a gun, a helicopter or a
plan).” Have other staff who know the
work. It doesn't matter if they can’t do
it as well. It doesn’t matter if the knowledge is spread amongst two or three
others. They only need to be able to do
it. Encourage regular “cross-training” or doing duty as “holiday cover”. “Practice”, as they say, “makes perfect.”
Never let anyone
be the sole custodian of anything, whether processes, equipment, knowledge or
information. Show through salary and
other rewards that sharing is the
expected behaviour.
Encourage people to train others - reward them for doing
it. Make it a part of the promotion path
and salary increments.
Anyone who is encouraged to believe that they’re “indispensable”
is more trouble than they’re worth.
I have spent more than half my life
delivering change in different world markets from the most developed to
“emerging” economies. With more than 20 years in international financial
services around the world running
different operations and lending businesses, I started my own Consultancy to
offer solutions for improving performance, productivity and risk
management. I work with individuals,
small businesses, charities, quoted companies and academic institutions across
the world. An international speaker, trainer, author and fund-raiser, I can be
contacted by email . My website provides a full picture of my portfolio of
services. For strategic questions that
you should be asking yourself, follow me at @wkm610.Labels: Career, Leadership, Strategy, Teamwork
What Does Being “Professional” Mean?
“Professional” is a
word we tend to use quite loosely. It can
mean two things: one is a member of a recognised “profession” (e.g. doctor,
lawyer, accountant, engineer) for which a professional qualification and recognition
by an appropriate industry body are needed to work. The other is as an adjective describing the
behaviour or conduct that one expects in others.
I hear people say “That wasn’t very professional behaviour”
or “He/she’s not very professional” meaning that the subject of conversation
doesn't behave or act in what the speaker deems to be an appropriate way. Often I’ve asked the speaker what they mean
when they use the word “professional” and the answers are varied. Most, however, include what I summarise
below.
Honesty/Ethical
Conduct:
Telling the truth (it may hurt). Giving all material facts that may affect
decision-making. Speaking plainly and
openly (but not rudely). Avoiding
ambiguity. Respecting other peoples’
confidence.
Demeanour:
Appropriate behaviour/attitude as occasion demands. Some tend to think that this means being
serious and humourless all the time. I
disagree.
Customer Interests:
You’re paid to look after your organisation’s interests,
then your customer’s, then your own.
Courtesy & Consideration:
Treating others as you would wish them to treat you. If you can’t say it to their face, don’t say
it.
Respect:
Closely related to the above, appreciating that everyone is
different and that they were all hired because they were seen to have something
to contribute. Whether you agree is immaterial. Another form of respect is not making people to ask you more than once to do something.
Time Management:
Many overestimate what they can achieve in a day and underestimate what they can achieve in a week. Turn up to meetings on time - show respect for other peoples' time.
Teamwork:
You don't have to like your co-workers (see Respect above), but you were hired to
work together for the good of the organisation and its customers, not to
indulge in petty personal vendettas or point-scoring.
Information Sharing:
Keeping information to yourself could damage your
organisation. Thinking that it gives you
power or that hiding it will make others look bad is delusional. Information is not power; information empowers.
Accepting The Inevitable:
Bad things happen - when we least expect. Anything involving human beings will
experience setbacks. If they happened
for reasons within your control, work out what happened and stop it from
happening again.
Moving On:
Following on from Accepting
The Inevitable. You can moan about what has happened, or get on and fix it and learn
from it. One of my friends has a
great saying: “We are where we are.”
Don’t Shoot The Messenger:
People hate bringing bad news to others (it’s human
nature). Sometimes they have to. Professionals accept this and thank the
messenger for keeping them in the picture.
Facing Facts:
Failing to acknowledge the “elephant in the room” won't help
anyone.
Addressing Problems:
… before they turn into crises. Following on from Facing Facts, some problems resolve themselves. Others need to be resolved fast before they turn
into a crises, costing more time and effort to resolve.
Fairness:
Be seen to be fair to your colleagues and reports. Being called “hard but fair” is a compliment. Popularity comes second.
Accepting
Responsibility:
When things go wrong as well as when they go well. Avoiding playing the “blame game”, pointing
fingers or indulging in “witch hunts” to deflect criticism.
Thinking Long-Term:
Being able to see the longer term future and/or bigger
picture and not perpetually getting caught up with in-the-moment issues.
Trustworthy:
The product of many of the foregoing. If people trust you, they will come to you
and follow you.
I have spent more than half my life
delivering change in different world markets from the most developed to
“emerging” economies. With more than 20 years in international financial
services around the world running
different operations and lending businesses, I started my own Consultancy to
offer solutions for improving performance, productivity and risk
management. I work with individuals,
small businesses, charities, quoted companies and academic institutions across
the world. An international speaker, trainer, author and fund-raiser, I can be
contacted by email. My website provides a full picture of my portfolio of
services. For strategic questions that
you should be asking yourself, follow me at @wkm610.Labels: Career, Leadership, Social, Strategy, Teamwork
The Meaning Of Cards
What does it mean when
you give people your business card or they give you theirs? You see it happen at networking events,
social functions and other gatherings.
Scenario: afterwards, you find your email “Inbox” inundated
with newsletters, product adverts or other inconsequential traffic. You spend the next hour “unsubscribing”.
In the drive to grow business, people often email anyone
whose card they obtain. They don’t
realise that this is both self-destructive and that it also has potentially
wider “ripple effects”. Not only do you
irritate a potential customer by sending unneeded “junk”, you also run the risk
that they will mention you or your business in uncomplimentary terms to
others.
So what does it mean when you give or receive someone else’s
card?
First: many exchanges happen at functions out of simple courtesy. You give me your card; I give you mine
(unless I’ve run out). It doesn’t mean
that you or I become a potential target for mailings.
Second: it’s not necessarily an invitation to contact unless the giver specifically says so. “Call me and we’ll do lunch”, “Send me your
product brochure - we’re looking for …” or some other such phrase is the clue
here.
Third: it’s not a request to add the giver to your database. It may make your “contact activity” for the
month look good, but a huge database of useless leads won’t benefit anyone.
Fourth: it’s not an invitation to send unwanted
“newsletters” or adverts for your product. By all means, ask if they’d like a copy
of your newsletter/product advertisements if you think they’ll be interested.
Fifth: if it was given
with a request to “contact me”, do it. I’ve given my card to people whose services I
needed. No follow up, despite the
invitation. They won’t get my business;
I won’t recommend them; if that person comes up in conversation I’ll tell
people (who ask) about their failure to follow up. Finally, if they contact me in the future for
business, I won’t be going with them as I’ll already have seen how good they
are at follow-ups.
Unfortunately, it looks from the above as though you’re
caught in a difficult position when you get someone else’s business card. Here’s how to handle it:
Ask if you may contact
them if you think you can help them:
Ask if they’d like you to send some material. If they agree, follow up within 2 business
days. If you get no response, follow-up
once more, then leave it. They’ll
respect you more, and you won’t waste time on unproductive leads. And who knows, six months later they may
contact you out of the blue when they definitely need you?
Write to them and
just say “Nice to meet you”:
Nothing else. They’ll
remember you for the right reasons.
Finally, if someone who gave you their card did you a favour
(e.g. introduced you to someone else at the same event), write and thank them. That’s professional courtesy and they’ll recommend
you to others as well.
I have spent more than half my life
delivering change in different world markets from the most developed to
“emerging” economies. With more than 20 years in international financial
services around the world running different
operations and lending businesses, I started my own Consultancy to offer
solutions for improving performance, productivity and risk management. I work with individuals, small businesses,
charities, quoted companies and academic institutions across the world. An
international speaker, trainer, author and fund-raiser, I can be contacted by email . My website provides a full picture of my portfolio of
services. For strategic questions that
you should be asking yourself, follow me at @wkm610.
Labels: Career, Customer Care, Productivity, Selling, Strategy
Delegation: Art or Science?
Delegation is
empowering someone to act on your behalf or giving someone a task to
perform. Some people are masters at delegating. Others struggle. Having been on both sides of delegation, I’ve
seen a number of things to do and to avoid.
To save time, I’m calling the person to whom the task is
being delegated the “delegatee” and the person giving the task the “delegator”.
Do:
Delegate only what you would be prepared to (and could) do yourself. You may need to give guidance. If you haven’t a clue, how do you expect the
delegatee to do a good job?
Take time when delegating.
Explain, give any limits of authority and resources, clarify
instructions. Make sure that others
involved know the limits of authority for the task. Allow delegatees time to clarify and ask
questions.
Plan what, how and to whom you’ll delegate. Some people are better suited to certain
tasks than others.
Pick the right delegatee.
If the task needs a French speaker, make sure they speak French.
Make sure that the delegatee has the knowledge and
experience to perform the task (unless it’s being given as a challenge).
Treat delegation as a way of developing talent. Every whale has to be trained.
Treat delegation as a way of spreading workload.
Check from time to time that the delegates is “on course, on
time”. No point in having a nasty
surprise…
Don’t:
Assume people understand what you mean. Check.
It saves time later and avoids crises.
Forget that, although you’ve delegated responsibility, accountability
remains with you.
Treat delegation as an easy way of avoiding tasks you don’t
enjoy. People will sense this very
quickly.
Treat delegation as a way to punish someone. The “penal jobs” will be obvious.
Show favouritism in choosing to whom to delegate. Everyone deserves a fair chance. You might even get a pleasant surprise…
Delegate the same task to two/more people; this results in
confusion and lack of responsibility.
I’ve heard managers try to get things “off their plate” as
quickly as they can, telling the delegatee “Oh, just work it out yourself!” or
“do whatever you think right!” This is another way of saying “I’m not taking
the blame for any of your decisions or mistakes.” If you don't have the time to explain and
clarify, don’t delegate.
Expect to invest time at the start. As you get used to delegating, and as people get
used to you and your style, they will understand better how you like things
done and how you work. They will need
less clarification as time goes on.
I have spent more than half my life
delivering change in different world markets from the most developed to
“emerging” economies. With more than 20 years in international financial
services running different operations and lending businesses, I started my own
Consultancy to offer solutions for improving performance, productivity and risk
management. I work with individuals,
small businesses, charities, quoted companies and academic institutions across
the world. An international speaker, trainer, author and fund-raiser, I can be
contacted by email . My website provides a full picture of my portfolio of
services. For strategic questions that
you should be asking yourself, follow me at @wkm610.Labels: Leadership, Productivity, Teamwork
